Grand Mosque Bwry Alqdym Fy Bwry (ly Bn Ly) Ali Bin Ali Grand Mosque

Standing amid the low walls and palm groves of the traditional district of Buri in Madinat Hamad in the Central Governorate of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Jami Buri al Qadim, known also in English as the Ali Bin Ali Grand Mosque, is one of the historic congregational mosques of the small island nation. The descriptor al qadim, meaning the old, distinguishes it from newer mosques built in the expanding city, while the naming after Ali bin Ali reflects the endowment provided by a member of that lineage for the welfare and worship of the local community. Bahrain is among the most historically layered islands of the Arabian Gulf, inhabited since the Dilmun era more than four thousand years ago and renowned in antiquity for its pearl beds and fresh water springs. It embraced Islam during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, after the arrival of the envoy Ala ibn al Hadrami, may God be pleased with him, and it has remained an important centre of Gulf Islamic culture ever since. Madinat Hamad is a planned city north west of Manama, named after Shaykh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and it has grown since the 1980s into a substantial residential area populated by Bahraini families. Architecturally the Jami Buri al Qadim follows the traditional Bahraini idiom, with thick coral stone walls limewashed to reflect the intense sun, a flat palm timber roof originally supported by carved date palm trunks and later reinforced with modern materials, a square minaret rising above the rooflines, and a modest ablution courtyard fed by a traditional well. The mihrab bears simple geometric plasterwork and the qiblah wall is inscribed with Quranic verses. The mosque hosts the five daily prayers, Jumu'ah, and the nightly taraweeh of the blessed month of Ramadan, as well as the two Eid congregations which fill the courtyard. It also offers Quran classes for neighbourhood children, sustaining a tradition of worship and learning that reaches back through many generations of Bahraini life. Bahraini elders passing date filled sweets to youngsters outside this historic prayer house ensure the memory of the islands' pearl diving ancestors quietly endures.